Which A-Thon Fundraiser Is Best for Your Organization? A Complete Guide

A-thon style fundraisers have been a staple in schools, sports programs, and community groups for decades. It’s a fundraiser that rewards participants for actions that are meant to better themselves. Walking a mile, hitting a baseball, reading a book.

Whether you run a youth sports program, a PTA or PTO, a band booster, or a nonprofit, choosing the right “a thon” can make or break your next fundraising cycle. 

Below are some of the most effective and popular a thon fundraisers running today and our recommendation what groups are best served by them.

What is an "A-Thon" Fundraiser?

An a-thon fundraiser is a type of fundraiser where participants can raise money through pledges or flat donations. The pledges are based on the unit of the a-thon type. For example, pledges can be per lap for a walk-a-thon, per free throw for a basketball shoot-a-thon, or per pound lifted for a lift-a-thon. In any case, it is a fun and effective way to raise money for sports teams, school groups and clubs.

In most cases, organizations will plan a live a-thon even 3-4 weeks in the future to provide plenty of time to collect pledges and donations leading up to the event. Then, once the event is completely and the performances of the participants are recorded, thats when organization's can reach out to the pledge-makers for their donation. For example, if a participant gets a pledge for $2 per lap in leading up to their walk-a-thon fundraiser, and then they complete 20 laps during the event, that would lead to a $40 donation following the event.

Moreover, A-thons are simple to plan, easy to market, and incredibly flexible for any age group or cause. While the structure is always the same (collecting pledges and donations), the customizabiliy of the activity itself is where creativity and impact can skyrocket.

Walk-a-thon Fundraiser

Walk-a-thons are arguably the quintessential “a-thon”. Remember doing fun runs in the fifth grade? Asking your relatives to donate based on how much you could walk? Trying to run around the track as a kid when everyone else was walking?

Walk-a -hons have been around for a long time and for good reason. What is it? You pick a route, gather participants, and ask donors to pledge per lap, per mile, or as a flat amount.

There is a strong argument that walk-a-thons can be effectively done for any organization because of how they’re designed. Inclusivity. Anybody can do it.

Organizations that walk a thons are super popular though are PTOs and PTAs, elementary schools, and community centered organizations serving families. Kids can go out and enjoy, even if they are not particularly athletic. You don’t have to be a great athlete to participate in a walk a thon. 

There is also almost no equipment cost which makes walk a thons an ideal choice for groups working with limited budgets. Other options similar to walk a thons include 5ks and color runs.

Interested in a walk-a-thon? Read our FAQ on how to best run a walkathon.

Walk-a-thons work well as part of a school spirit week, a fall kickoff event, or a spring celebration day. They can be hosted on a track, through campus paths, or around a community park. 

Shoot-a-thon Fundraisers

What group is the shoot-a-thon best for? As the name implies, it’s basketball teams. This is an a-thon that has become a fan favorite for fundraising basketball programs around the county.

It’s great for every level. Whether you’re a travel team, middle school team, or high school team, shoot a thons are a way to have fun, build your team’s skills, while raising money.

Shoot-a-thons have become a fan favorite for basketball programs at every level. The idea is simple. Players take a set number of shots, usually 50 or 100, and donors pledge per made basket. Supporters can also give flat donations tied to the event. Fans love this format because it directly ties performance to fundraising. Athletes love it because it puts the focus on their skills and creates a competitive environment.

Shoot-a-thons work best when structured like a mini event. Give each player a designated shooting partner or rebounder, play music during the rounds, and keep scoreboards visible so families can follow along. You can even add friendly competitions like highest percentage made or most improved shooter. It is easy to host this inside a gym which makes it a reliable fundraiser year round.

Read-a-thon Fundraisers

Read-a-thons are ideal for schools, literacy programs, and libraries. You can often find read a thons in elementary schools as schools keep track of how many books a student has read for example or the accelerated reader program.

You can do it over the course of a few weeks, but often these are done during March, which is celebrated as reading month in schools.

Students log reading minutes or books over the course of the fundraiser. Donors pledge per minute read or per completed book. This format encourages families to spend more time together and lets teachers integrate reading goals into their classrooms.

It is also one of the few fundraisers that directly supports academic growth while raising money at the same time.

Bowl-a-thon Fundraisers

I know what you’re thinking. Bowl-a-thon. Is this just for bowling teams? Well yes it is convenient for bowling teams, but honestly this is a fundraiser that can be utilized by any program or organization. Why? Like a walk a thon, bowling is a pretty universally appealing sport.

We may not all be good at it, but anybody can go out to the lanes and thanks to the innovation of bumpers and guides, kids and older adults can participate and enjoy just the same as anybody else.

The basics of the bowl a thon are each bowler gets pledges based on how many pins they knock down, game totals, or even something like strikes and spares. We walk you through the details in our bowl-a-thon FAQ, but think of it as a way to get your organization together at the lanes and raise money while doing it.

Swim-a-thon

Swim-a-thons are perfect for swim teams, water polo teams, and aquatic clubs. Athletes complete laps in a set time period and donors pledge per lap. Because it takes place in a pool, you have a controlled environment and built in safety structure. Swim-a-thons also highlight the conditioning and endurance that swimmers train for every day.

Many programs add relay heats, team goals, or themed swimwear to build excitement. You can livestream the event for parents and supporters who cannot attend in person. Swim a thons usually produce high per participant revenue because lap counts add up quickly and families rally behind their swimmers.

Lift-a-thon Fundraisers

Ready to lift some weights? The lift-a-thon is a fundraiser that is built for any sports team primarily. Especially teams that routinely utilize strength training. 

These teams primarily consist of wrestling, football, powerlifting, softball, baseball, basketball, track and field, rowing, and gymnastics programs, but the lift-a-thon can be utilized by any team. Strength training is important in just about every sport including sports you may not think of like golf, tennis, or winter sports.

Age groups for lift-a-thons will primarily serve upper middle school, high school, and college athletes who have an understanding of the basics of the three primary lifts; deadlift, squat, and bench.

We take you through the steps on how to run a lift a thon here, but the gist of it is for every pound lifted you raise money for your organization in pledges taken before the lift-a-thon. So if your aunt pledges 10 cents for every pound raised and you lift 400 pounds across all three, you get $40. 

Hit-a-thon Fundraisers

Like the shoot-a-thon, Hit-a-thons are built around specific programs. These are baseball and softball programs.

Players take turns hitting from a tee if they’re young or live pitching for older age groups. Sponsors pledge per hit, per distance, or per home run. This type of event turns a fundraiser into an event that families can come out to.

It’s really great for early in the season as an introduction to your team and serves basically as a glorified practice.

You can raise thousands of dollars just like Morgan Township baseball did. Thousands of dollars after just a little bit of extra work.

Don't See An A-thon That's Right For Your Organization?

So you've gone through this list and you don't see your sport or a-thon you've been dreaming about? That's totally okay! With Teamfi's digital platform you can run any "a-thon" you want. A craft-a-thon, jog-a-thon, write-a-thon, paint-a-thon, anything you can think of it can be done. You can name your custom a-thon and set your a-thon's custom units to collect pledges based on anything!

So, Which A Thon Is Best For Your Organization?

The best a thon for your group comes down to age, season, space, and goal size. Walk-a-thons and bowl-a-thons work for almost every organization. Shoot-a-thons, lift-a-thons, hit-a-thons, and swim-a-thons are great for sports teams. Read-a-thons are great for elementary students.

A-thons give you a flexible, proven format that inspires participation and makes fundraising simple. Pick an activity your group already enjoys, build excitement around the event, and promote it well. If you do that, any a thon on this list can become your next standout fundraiser. Want to get your free digital a-thon started?